Times Like These
by Kuroneko-sama07
Summary: Collection of mostly stand-alone drabbles/one-shots featuring Vegeta and Bulma, as well as other members of the Briefs family. Some will be humorous, some will have drama/angst, etc. Basically, there should be something for everyone! :D
1. Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Times Like These

Disclaimer: Yeah, DBZ is not mine.

A/N: Well, I'm apparently 11 years old again and back obsessed with DBZ (and VegetaxBulma, too, of course). I'm always having short little scenes/stories pop into my head about these two, so I decided, why not write them and share with you all? :)

So, this is just going to be a set of mostly stand-alone drabbles focusing on Vegeta and Bulma, and also just the Briefs family in general. I'm not using prompts - just writing them as they come to me. I'd like to say that I'll post regularly, but I'm not making any promises...hehe. Also, I'd like to point out that for now the T rating is just a blanket rating. It could go up in the future (I do like to write the occasional VxB sexy scene ;D), but I'll be sure to warn you beforehand if it does. OK, on to the stories!

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**Chocolate-Covered Strawberries**

The sight before Vegeta definitely wasn't an unusual one now that he had been living at Capsule Corp for over a year. Bulma was sitting at the kitchen table, happily munching on a bowl of what he had come to learn was her favorite fruit - strawberries. Although, this time, he noticed there was definitely something different about those red berries. For one, they didn't look very _red_.

"What the hell are you eating, woman?" he asked gruffly, as he stood in front of the table peering suspiciously at the bowl of fruit.

Bulma, with a half-eaten strawberry in her hand and far too pleased with the deliciousness of her treat, chose to ignore his tone and choice of name for her. Honestly, she was getting used to it by now. "Oh, Vegeta, you have to try one! They're chocolate-covered strawberries." She gently pushed the bowl towards him. He eyed it again for a brief moment before apparently deciding this was a waste of his time and heading towards the fridge.

"Hmph," he responded with a grunt as he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. "I have no need for such sweet things. That's for weaklings to enjoy."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Fine. All the more for me then!" Vegeta turned to watch her as she happily took another bite of her rather large strawberry, her tongue darting out to catch the bit of juice threatening to spill from her lips. Vegeta tried to will the slight blush from spreading across his cheeks, but judging from the teasing wink she threw at him when she looked his way, he was pretty sure he had been unsuccessful.

Taking a large gulp from his bottle of water, a realization dawned on him. This was another one of her games - it had to be - and judging by her smug expression, she was winning. He had originally thought that trying one of the damn fruits was what she wanted him to do, so regardless of whether or not he was curious about them, he did not bend to her will. But, it seemed that that was what she wanted all along. She didn't want to share them; she wanted them all to herself like the selfish woman he knew she was. And now she was happy - pleased with herself. Well, not for long, he decided. She wasn't winning - not today.

"God, I can't believe I actually wanted to use the dragon balls to wish for a lifetime supply of strawberries!" she exclaimed with a laugh as she noticed Vegeta casually walking back towards her and once again standing across the table from her.

"Yes, that was indeed idiotic," he chimed in nonchalantly.

"I know!" She laughed again as she plucked another berry from the bowl. "It would've been much better to wish for a lifetime supply of chocolate-covered ones like these instead. Oh, those were the days, you know? Traveling around with Goku and the others, not a care in the world..."

As she continued to speak (all of which Vegeta was tuning out), he took in her expression. She had turned to gaze out the kitchen window - her eyes glazed over with nostalgia.

_Perfect_.

"Well, in the end, the things I gained were worth so much more than silly strawberries," she stated with a sigh as she snapped out of her memories. Her hand reached back into the bowl only to find it... _empty_?

"Vegeta!" He was now standing in the doorway with his back to her, but he threw her a victorious smirk over his shoulder as he popped the last strawberry into his mouth and ate it, stem and all.

"Grr, those were mine! I said you could have one, not the whole bowl!" she shouted but it was too late - he had already left the room.

"Hmph!" Bulma threw her arms across her chest in a huff, but her frown slowly turned into a smirk. "I knew he'd love them. He has such a sweet tooth, after all."

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A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! I'll try to post more soon! :)


	2. Scratch

A/N: I wanted to try to write something more Vegeta-centric, so this little bit popped into my head. Takes place during the 3 years before the androids. Enjoy!

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**Scratch**

Vegeta nearly leapt off the couch when he felt something soft brush up against his leg. Ki blast ready, he instinctively aimed his palm at the source only to see that it was just the familiar black creature that was usually glued to Dr. Briefs. What had the woman said it was? A cat. Looked more like a rat to him. He contemplated blasting the thing but decided against it. It was Dr. Briefs's favorite pet, after all. If he killed it, the old man might never do anything for him ever again. And, to make it even worse, he'd never hear the end of it from Bulma, so he'd probably have to kill her just to get her to shut up, and then Dr. Briefs really wouldn't do anything for him.

He lowered his hand and leaned back onto the couch. Besides, why even waste his energy on a measly little cat? However, when said cat suddenly jumped into Vegeta's lap and began kneading his stomach, he found himself quickly having a change of heart.

"Ugh, get off me, you pathetic little creature!" Vegeta exclaimed in annoyance as he roughly grabbed the cat and tossed him to the other end of the couch. Scratch meowed in surprise, and Vegeta thought he had succeeded in repelling the pest, but Scratch had more determination than that. He made his way back over to Vegeta, but this time, it seemed Scratch made a smarter move. Instead of jumping into Vegeta's lap, he opted to curl up right next to his side instead.

"Whatever," Vegeta said with a groan, too tired to fight the damn thing anymore. "Just be still! And don't start doing that weird pawing thing again, or I'm tossing you across the room."

He squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back against the sofa, sighing loudly. Here he was, actually trying to relax and meditate for a change, but he should have known better - relaxing was practically impossible at a place like Capsule Corp. He hated this damn place. First it was the woman and her insane parents, and now he had a _cat,_ of all things, that wouldn't leave him alone. If he ever made his ascension in between all of these distractions, it would surely be a miracle.

He glanced at the sleeping creature next to him. Planet Vegeta didn't have any animals that looked like this that he could remember. Their animals were much more vicious and gruesome-looking, and none of them were ever really domesticated. "Hm. I bet your species was once strong and intimidating, but leave it to Earthlings to make everything weak." Out of something Vegeta could only claim was curiosity, he let one finger gently stroke the cat's black fur. It was so soft; it immediately started purring, and Vegeta was surprised when he felt the vibrations of the purrs through the cat's little chest.

Suddenly, Vegeta grabbed the cat by his scruff and held him up to face him. "You stupid cat. You're too trusting - all of you! I could blow you all to smithereens, and I will, soon!"

Wait, why was he even talking to a cat? It was official. This planet was making him nuts.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he felt the presence of someone else entering the room. "Ah, there you are, Scratch! I've been looking all over for you!" came Dr. Briefs's usual, cheerful voice. In an instant, Vegeta tossed the cat towards its owner, not caring whether it was caught or not as he got up to leave the room, but thankfully, Scratch was able to latch on to Dr. Briefs's shoulder as always.

"Well now, Scratch," Dr. Briefs said as he watched Vegeta leave, "it looks like you managed to make a new friend."

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A/N: I don't know how I feel about this as I just wrote it on a whim. But whatever, that's what this little collection is for! I'll be sure to have another VegetaxBulma one next time. :) Thanks for reading, and please review!


	3. Time for a Change

A/N: I'd just like to point out that I won't be going in any order here, so you'll see me skip between different time periods of the series quite often. Anyway, this one is set post-Cell.

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**Time for a Change**

"Hey, Vegeta?" Bulma asked quietly as she turned to face the man next to her in her bed - the man that now shared her room and bed with her every night, instead of just sparingly like he had done before.

"Hn?" he grunted, almost reluctantly. She always insisted on talking to him just when he was beginning to drift off into sleep.

"I think I want to re-do this room. Or maybe even move to another one...," she said pensively.

"What's wrong with this one?" He still hadn't turned his head to look at her, as if he thought that by not looking at her would somehow make her lose interest in whatever she was trying to say.

"Well, this has always been my room, ever since I was young, and that's just the problem. It still feels like _my_ room, but I want it to feel like _our_ room." As she spoke those last words, he felt her cuddle against him wrapping her arm around his.

Rolling his eyes inwardly, he finally turned his head to face her. Honestly, he still didn't understand what the problem was. It was just a room, serving its function. Any other room would be just the same. However, a part of him couldn't help but cringe when he walked into this room for one reason and one reason only... "Well, I could definitely do without seeing the awful lavender color of these walls every day."

Bulma frowned at him. "But purple is the color of royalty!"

"The color of Earth royalty maybe, which isn't surprising considering all 'royalty' here are pathetic. But, it's certainly not the color of Saiyan royalty," he informed her, and she tried to hide the smirk that was forming on her face. She liked to pretend that his high-and-mighty attitude, especially when comparing Earthly and Saiyan matters, drove her mad, but sometimes, she couldn't help but be amused. She hated to say it, but his confidence and ego were quite the turn-ons.

"Well, excuse me," she said sarcastically. "But that's what I'm talking about! This room looks like a total girl room. A person wouldn't even know this was your room, too, just by looking. I want us to have a more mature, romantic room," she said, a bit dreamily.

_Romantic? _He already didn't like the sound of this. "First of all, woman, I don't understand how you can make a room look 'romantic.' Second, even if you managed it, I don't see why you seem to think that a 'romantic' room would look more like it belonged to me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what I can do. I have quite the sense of style, you know," she said with a wink as she rested her chin on his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Oh? Is that why you used to have your hair looking like a blue puff ball?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up. You liked my hair, and you know it."

"Hardly."

"Well, you can say whatever you want, but there's a baby down the hall that tells a different story," she said with a knowing smirk.

"Hmph. Well, regardless, your hair now is much more suitable." Just as the words came out of his mouth, he felt her lips press into his. He was surprised at first, but he quickly returned the kiss and began lightly running his fingers through her hair, pulling her in for more. However, just as quickly as he gave in, she pulled away, a bright smile on her face.

"I've decided!" she said triumphantly. "I'm going to design us a new room, and you're going to love it. I promise."

"Woman, it's just a room! But fine," he replied grudgingly, but then an almost seductive smirk spread across his face as he pulled her flush to his body. "But for now, we still have this room. And I say we make good use of it."

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A/N: This is one that I actually might continue. Maybe not right away, but I think I will come back to it. Anyway, this had a lot of dialogue - I hope that's okay. I just really love writing conversations between these two. Thanks for reading and please review!


	4. Nightmares

A/N: Sorry it's been a while, guys. School's been wearing me out, so I just haven't felt like writing. :/ But, I'm back now with a new piece! And this one's a little bit different than my last ones in that it's a bit more dramatic and angst-y. Set shortly after the Buu saga.

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**Nightmares**

This was the third time this week her fitful sleeping had woken him up. He hadn't asked her about it, and she hadn't told him, but he knew just from watching her toss and turn and hearing her whimpers that she was having nightmares. He couldn't help but wonder why this was happening to her all of a sudden, but Vegeta had never been one to pry. And, he knew that Bulma had never been one to freely admit when something was truly bothering her.

He glanced over at her to see her clutching the bed sheets, her brow furrowed and her teeth grit, her lips moving in silent protest to whatever or whoever was tormenting her. Vegeta wondered if he should wake her-he didn't want to. He hoped she would just slip out of the dream on her own and return to normal sleep. It was easier that way. Vegeta knew the feeling of waking up from nightmares all too well, and it was a dreadful feeling that he hoped to never experience again even though he knew he would. Because of that, he hated seeing Bulma wake up in that same state of fear and confusion. He hated knowing that she was experiencing that same dreadful feeling.

As he turned over to face her, his eyes widened when he heard her whisper his name. Why was he in her bad dream? Suddenly, his heart sank. _She could be remembering what happened at the World Martial Arts Tournament... _She had told him that although it upset her, she forgave him for it, but if she was having nightmares about it, then it was obvious that the memories were still haunting her. _Does she fear me now? _It was strange; in the beginning of their "relationship," Vegeta wanted her to fear him, but now, the very thought made him feel almost disgusted with himself.

"...Vegeta...n-no...," she whispered as she shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her closed eyes. Vegeta was just about to reach over and wake her, when she suddenly jolted up in the bed with a shout. "No!"

Bulma blinked in confusion causing the few tears to slid down her cheeks. She clutched her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart and tried to steady her breathing, but she found it hard to do. That dream had shook her up like no other. Sighing, she quickly wiped away her tears and laid back down only to glance over and see two onyx orbs gazing at her.

"What am I doing... in your dreams?" he asked hesitantly.

"What?" she breathed. "You're not doing anything... in fact, it's just the opposite." She threw her arm over her eyes and exhaled deeply. "You're... dying."

"Dying?"

"Yes, Vegeta! Dying!" she exclaimed as her eyes met his once again, her tears threatening to return. "In my dreams, I'm always running after you... but no matter how fast I run, you just keep getting farther away. Finally, for some reason, in my dream tonight, I finally caught up with you. But it was too late... you were dead."

Vegeta didn't know whether to be relieved or more concerned. She wasn't fearing him, she was fearing his death. "...Bulma..."

"I'm sorry; I know it's selfish, but I guess I'm just still upset over you sacrificing yourself," she whispered.

Vegeta understood. He knew that even though she hardly ever spoke of it, she appreciated what he had done for their family. But he also knew that for reasons he really couldn't fathom, she needed him somehow. Since she experienced it once, the fear losing him would always be there, but only the passage of time would ease it.

A small smirk played on his lips - if Bulma didn't know any better, she would have sworn it was a smile. "You're always selfish, no need to apologize now."

"Whatever, Vegeta!" she said with a pout, but she knew his true intentions. He was teasing her, but it was his way of making her feel better and taking her mind off of it all. She figured that out a long time ago.

Suddenly, his strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to his chest. She sighed deeply into him, their embrace almost immediately putting her at ease. "Here," Vegeta said as he rested his chin atop her head. His voice was low and almost soft - Bulma could barely make out what he said. "Perhaps you'll sleep better if you can feel me right here."

Yes, Vegeta understood. He understood the pain of nightmares, but he also understood her fear because for more reasons he really couldn't fathom, he needed her somehow, too.

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A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Treating Your Wounds

A/N: Ugh, I can't believe it's seriously been two months since I last posted. Where has time gone? Anyway, sorry you guys... I recently started my full-time student teaching, and it's been hectic to say the least. But, I hope you all will enjoy this one! It just kinda came to me on a whim, and I honestly didn't put too much thought into it, so I hope it turns out okay. Set during the three years before the androids.

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**Treating Your Wounds**

Neither of them were sure how or when this had happened, but somehow, this had become somewhat of a routine for them.

Vegeta trained hard every day, continually pushing himself to his limits, and the wounds on his body reflected that. But much to Bulma's relief, he at least had the sense to stop and rest, which he did at around the same time every night. When she first began noticing his frequent injuries, he would stubbornly refuse her treatment, saying that either it wasn't necessary or that he could do it himself. But, Bulma persisted. She didn't know why; she just did.

And, finally, he had caved. He didn't know why; he just did.

Now, like so many nights before, Vegeta sat cross-legged on the floor of one of the many sitting rooms of Capsule Corp. He faced the huge window, gazing out onto the blinking lights of the city that surrounded the compound. He had a drink in his hand and a towel around his neck, the sweat still fresh on his skin. He was waiting.

Suddenly, his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of her bare feet padding across the floor towards him. Bulma sat her kit on the floor before kneeling down behind him. Gently, she grabbed his towel and dried some of the lingering sweat off of his neck, shoulders, and back. She took out her alcohol swabs and ointment and began treating the few scratches on his back. Thankfully, it looked like he hadn't done too much damage to himself this time. She spoke to him while working - as she often did; usually telling him he should go easy on himself and relax every once in a while - but also as usual, it seemed to fall on deaf ears as she got nothing but grunts in response.

Bulma moved to face him, needing to inspect his chest. Immediately, she noticed a fairly deep cut on the left side of his chest. She was surprised it had stopped bleeding already, but nonetheless, she began gently cleaning it. Her talking had ceased, and Vegeta felt suddenly aware of how close she was to him. He glanced down at her and noticed a slight blush on her cheeks, telling him that she felt it, too. As her fingers pressed the bandage on his skin, he wondered if she could feel the increase in his heart rate. Why had it increased, anyway?

Her fingers lingered on his skin longer than necessary. He noticed it, and she knew he noticed it. Yet, she did nothing.

Why was he even letting her be this close to him? Why was he continuing to let her touch him? No, she was just treating his wounds, nothing more.

But, like every night before, it was so hard to pull away, and neither of them knew why.

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A/N: This... turned out different than I expected, honestly! But I like it, I think. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	6. Little Pink Sneakers

A/N: I'm finally writing a Vegeta and Bra piece! I've been wanting to for forever - these two are just too cute! Enjoy!

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**Little Pink Sneakers**

Vegeta frowned at the sight before him. Why did she insist on wearing these ridiculous looking sneakers? He remembered when Bulma even added the rhinestones to them, as if being _pink_ wasn't bad enough. He wanted his daughter to be strong and prideful and not interested in such frivolous things like all of these Earthlings were.

But of course, much to his chagrin, Bra absolutely loved these shoes.

He focused his attention back to his young daughter, who was tapping her foot impatiently - said shoes on but laces untied. "Come on, Daddy! Hurry up and tie them - we're going to be late!"

Why she couldn't tie her own shoes yet was beyond him. Bulma assured him it was normal, and she would learn soon enough. However, he was convinced that this problem could be solved if everyone simply stopped tying them for her, but one look at her determined face told him to not push this issue today. She really was just like her mother.

"Fine." Sighing in defeat, he kneeled down and began tying the laces on one of her shoes. As he moved to her other one, he felt Bra gently hold onto him for support, and her fragility dawned on him, as it had many times before since she had been born. She needed him and not just for protection but for even the most seemingly insignificant things, like tying shoe laces. He always thought of her - no, he _wanted_ to think of her - as no different from any Saiyan female. But as time went by, he realized his daughter was much more human than Saiyan.

"There," he said as he finished. He glanced up at her to see her now smiling face.

"Thanks, Daddy!" she said cheerfully. She threw her small arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Vegeta felt a small smile tugging at his lips, but he tried his best to keep it away as he stood up and began to lead the way out of Bra's bedroom. Bra raced after him and began walking alongside him.

Vegeta had always thought that he wanted his daughter to be independent and self-reliant, just like all Saiyans were, just like even Trunks had been and still was for the most part. But as he felt her small fist wrap around his pinky finger as they walked, he realized that he wouldn't have her any other way. She was his little princess, and if she needed him, then he would be there.

Besides, he needed her, too.

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A/N: Pretty short, I know, but oh well. I just love Vegeta and Bra's relationship, and I can't wait to write more little scenes like this later. :) Thanks for reading, please review!


	7. At the Beach

A/N: OK, I've got to pick up the pace here. These one-shots are so short, there's absolutely no excuse for me only writing one like every month and a half. -_- And it's not like I don't have ideas either - I'm just so damn lazy, lol. Anyway, here's a nice summer-themed one for you! Set post-Cell.

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**At the Beach**

As Bulma lay on her back atop her beach towel, she could feel her body soaking up the warmth of the sun, and she sighed contently. In her opinion, there was no better way to relax than this. The feel of the light coastal breeze brushing over her skin; the sound of the nearby waves crashing against the shore; the smell of the salty ocean water filling the air - yes, it was simply perfect. And to make things even better, she had found a very secluded spot, away from all of the crowds. She had been waiting so long for the opportunity to finally relax at the beach that she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

"How long are we going to sit here?" came the gruff, irritated voice of the man beside her.

Bulma glared at him through her sunglasses. Now, she was wondering why she had insisted on bringing Vegeta with her in the first place.

"Vegeta, we're at the beach! You're supposed to just relax, which is what I'm doing. I'm trying to get a tan here!" she exclaimed.

Vegeta simply grunted in response. He wasn't good at relaxing! And why did she want him to come so badly if she was just going to ignore him?

As Vegeta silently yet angrily mused over these thoughts, Bulma closed her eyes again and tried to get back to her sunbathing when she felt a large pile of sand being dumped onto one of her legs. Immediately, she shot up to see none other than 5-year-old Trunks holding on to his now empty bucket and grinning mischievously. Now, she was wondering why she hadn't just come to the beach _alone_.

"Trunks, what are you doing?" she asked, trying not to sound too annoyed. She knew he was just playing, after all.

"I'm gonna bury you!" he replied excitedly, as if it was the best idea ever. She heard Vegeta trying to suppress a chuckle, and she shot him a glare.

"But I don't want to be buried," she explained. "Look, Trunks, Mommy's trying to relax so why don't you find something else to do? Maybe build a sandcastle?"

Trunks frowned but brought a finger to his chin while he contemplated her suggestion. He really wanted to bury someone in the sand, but he thought twice before trying that on his father, so he decided sandcastle-building was probably the way to go.

"Hmm, okay," he said as he turned and began filling up his bucket with sand again. Bulma, seeming satisfied, smiled and laid back down.

"Woman!" Vegeta exclaimed, no sooner than Bulma's head had touched the ground. "You insisted on me coming along with you and the boy, and for what? For me to just sit here? This is a waste of time."

Bulma sighed in annoyance. "You don't have to just sit here! Do whatever you want - although, I would appreciate it if you would just stay here at the beach. Go swimming in the ocean or something."

Swimming? He hadn't thought about that. Yes, that might work, at least then he'd be getting exercise. Without responding, he got up and walked out to the ocean. Bulma sat up and watched him for a moment as he waded into the water. Maybe she was being a bit selfish, after all... Her family had accompanied her on this little trip, and she was just ignoring them.

"Trunks," she said as she stood up and brushed some of the sand off of her, "I'm going to join Daddy in the ocean for a little bit, okay? You can just keep playing here if you want. We won't go far." Trunks only nodded in response seeming now very intent on his sandcastle project.

Bulma walked to the shoreline and stood for a moment letting the water wash over her feet. It was a bit a chilly, and she noticed some floating seaweed - needless to say, she was starting to second guess her decision.

"So, you've decided to stop being lazy for a change?" came Vegeta's teasing voice. She looked up to see that he was a little ways out, standing where the water was a little over waist-deep.

"Relaxing is not the same thing as being lazy, Vegeta! And you just seemed so desperate for my attention that I figured I'd better spend time with you before you threw a tantrum," she replied cooly with a smirk that rivaled his own.

"Ha! You wish, woman. Now, are you getting in or not?"

Bulma tested the waters once again by shuffling her feet closer to the shoreline. Nope, still cold. "Vegeta... it's cold!" she exclaimed as she dramatically wrapped her arms around herself.

"Oh, stop whining! Such a weakling," he replied knowingly. He knew that would strike a nerve.

Sure enough, she was fuming. "Just because I'm sensitive to temperatures doesn't mean I'm weak! Grr... That's it, I'm coming out there!" Before she could change her mind, she began storming into the water, hoping that the faster she moved the less cold it would be. She suddenly hated the fact that so much of her skin was uncovered; although, really, she doubted it would make a difference.

Finally, once Vegeta was in arm's reach, much to his surprise she immediately launched herself at him, grasping his arm and pulling herself as close to him as she could possibly get to get any warmth that she could.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, slightly exasperated by her behavior.

"Vegeta, this water is freezing!" she complained, backing away from him slightly to look up at his face.

Suddenly realizing her close proximity to him added with the fact that she was barely clothed, Vegeta couldn't resist his urge to briefly steal a glance at her chest. Upon looking, he noticed a tell-tale sign of how cold she was, and a smirk spread across his face. "I can see that."

Bulma's cheeks flushed a bit as she looked down, but then she delivered a hard smack to his shoulder. "It's not funny! I'm going back on the beach; I don't know why I came out here anyway," she huffed.

Vegeta wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to him. "You're not going anywhere." In an instant, he hoisted her up against him, gripping her thighs as she wrapped her pale legs around his waist. "Now you're barely in the water. Better?"

"Yeah," she said softly as she smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips against his, attempting to kiss him softly at first, but of course, he reciprocated in a rough manner, feverishly moving his lips against hers. She didn't mind, though; she entangled her fingers in his thick hair and pressed her body even closer against him, feeling her own fire now burning inside of her. Forget what she had thought earlier; this was more like it. The slight waves rocking against them; the closeness of their bodies; the passion in this kiss - _this_ was perfect.

"Uh, Mom! Don't you wanna see my sandcastle?"

Trunks. How could she forget about Trunks? Immediately, Bulma broke their kiss and turned to see her son standing on the shoreline. "Yeah, I'll be right there!"

She turned her attention back to Vegeta, and he saw the blush on her cheeks. "I can't believe I forgot he was even here... Thankfully, we didn't get too carried away. Anyway, let me down. Even though I don't want to get back in that cold-" Before she could even finish her sentence, Vegeta unceremoniously tossed her into the water. He couldn't force the grin off of his face as he watched her flail in the water for a moment, wiping the water out of her face as she stood back up. Oh, she was going to be pissed.

"VEGETA, YOU ASS!" she screamed.

He simply stood there, smug as ever, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Hey, I helped you out. Bet that water doesn't feel as cold now, does it?"

"That's not the point! I didn't want to get my hair wet!" But it was falling on deaf ears - Vegeta chuckled, then dove into the water swimming away from her. She let out an irritated growl and then stomped back to the beach. This trip to the beach was no longer perfect - not even close.

But, when she finally laid eyes on her son's small yet well-built sandcastle and his proud smiling face, she realized that, no, wet hair or not, this day was still perfect.

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A/N: Wow, this came out longer than these usually do. I am such a slow writer; I literally spent quite a few hours writing this. I don't know; I just don't feel good about my writing while I'm writing. But then, I'll come back and read it a couple days later and really love it. :/ Anyway, I'm trying to push past this. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	8. Family

A/N: I feel like I'm losing my inspiration for these... :/ It will probably come back soon, though. I can never stay away from this pairing for too long. ;) This one is set post-Buu, prior to the birth of Bra. According to my research, Trunks is 12 years older than Bra, so that's how old he is here.

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**Family**

It was already late and past his curfew as Trunks was finally making his way back home from Goten's house, Capsule Corp coming into view below him as he quickly flew. He figured if he hurried and made sure to keep his power level suppressed, he could sneak inside before his parents realized that he was just now returning home. Typically, he wouldn't care that much about being a little late, but it seemed like the farther along his mother got in her pregnancy, the meaner she became and as Trunks learned a long time ago, when his mother was angry, his father was usually even angrier.

Just as he neared the building, Trunks abruptly stopped in the air as he felt familiar ki signatures very nearby. His parents were outside. A bit frantically, he scanned the ground below him, now fearing that they could've seen him in the air, but he saw no one. Then, he realized, they must be on their balcony - waiting for his arrival, no doubt. Well, too bad for them he was smarter than that, Trunks smirked as he thought to himself. Ever since the last time they had busted him that way, he made it a point to fly in towards the opposite side of the building. But, he needed to verify his suspicions just in case.

Being sure to maintain his suppressed ki, he slowly flew around the building just enough so that his parents' balcony came into view. Sure enough, there they were. Now that he knew their exact location, he could sneak inside, no problem. But, just as he was about to turn back, he froze. He couldn't remember ever seeing his parents seem as close as they were at that moment. They were sitting together on a lounge chair, his mother sitting between his father's legs and leaning back into him. His father's hands were on her swollen belly, moving ever so slightly. It appeared as if they weren't saying anything, just sitting together.

Only on the rare occasion had Trunks witnessed his parents doing anything remotely intimate, and those few times were only because they didn't know he was in the vicinity. But, whenever he had accidently seen those few embraces or kisses, he always just turned around and left, basically unaffected besides maybe a bit grossed out. So, he couldn't understand why seeing them like this now seemed to almost captivate him.

He felt... many things, actually. He suddenly wondered if they had ever sat like that when his mother had been pregnant with him. Something told him that it was doubtful, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Trunks was 12 years old now - he still didn't fully understand what had led to his parent's relationship and to his birth, but as he got older, he began to realize that they didn't have a typical love story and things weren't always as they are now.

However, his feelings of discontent were quickly replaced with something else he couldn't quite place. Trunks had really never thought that much about love before - he knew he loved his family, they loved him, and they loved each other, but that was about the extent his thought process had ever gone with that. But, he realized in that moment that regardless of whatever had happened between them in the past, his parents didn't just love each other. They were in love. He had never thought about what that meant, and he was sure that if someone asked him, he wouldn't be able to explain it in words. All he knew was that this - what he was seeing before his eyes - is what it meant.

And, he was glad. He was glad that his parents had stayed together all this time. He was glad that they still loved each other so much to give him his baby sister who would be here soon. But, most of all, he was just glad to have them as his parents. He really was the luckiest kid on Earth, he thought with a smile as turned back to go inside the building.

* * *

A/N: This was short, but sweet. :) This scene just popped into my mind, and I really felt like there wasn't more to say about it than this. Thanks for reading, please review!


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